Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and Maria Lara and Sandra Diaz-Aguado and Chiba Shigeki and Albert E. Knopf

A celebration of nonconformity; a tense, emotional tale about the fleeting, cruel nature of popularity--and the thrill and inspiration of first love. Ages 12+

Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don't stand out--under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes--for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of home schooling, Stargirl bursts into tenth grade in an explosion of color and a clatter of ukulele music, enchanting the Mica student body.

But the delicate scales of popularity suddenly shift, and Stargirl is shunned for everything that makes her different. Somewhere in the midst of Stargirl's arrival and rise and fall, normal Leo Borlock has tumbled into love with her.

In a celebration of nonconformity, Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the fleeting, cruel nature of popularity--and the thrill and inspiration of first love

I read this book randomly this morning just to try a chapter. But then I couldn't stop and I finished it

“I'm answering your question. The answer is yes. I'm giving up on trying to be popular and normal.”
One day, like any other, at the Mica High School in hot Arizona, Stargirl arrives as an apparition to defy the calmness and normalness of the student body -and the whole community- with her colorful personality, her ukulele and the rat riding on her shoulder.

Jerry Spinelli tells us in Stargirl a sweet, but crude, coming-of-age story about acceptance, tolerance and being true to yourself.

The imagery the author depicts is beautiful; an authentic sensorial experience and, to be fair, the pace of the narrative is rather tranquil and slow, but it is very enjoyable and does not feel dragged at any point. Even though the pace is calm, there are key moments placed very carefully throughout the story which help in keeping the reader engaged and curious as to what happened or what will happen next. After all, it takes place at high school and there's bound to be drama.

We wanted to define her, to wrap her up as we did each other, but we could not seem to get past “weird” and “strange” and “goofy”.
I liked very much the combination of eccentric and fantastic-like situations with the very realistic consequences and reactions one would expect from these situations taking place: like the awkwardness in the room after someone you don't know, randomly and unexpectedly comes up to you to dedicate yourself a performance of “Happy Birthday”. I feel this kept the story balanced and makes it a tale that can be thoroughly enjoyed by young readers, but also make the older ones reflect on deeper themes.

Spinelli discussed a variety of topics that ranged from creating a sense of community and connecting with nature, to embracing our true selves or the actual impact of being selfless (or selfish). I guess this is what makes it a perfect middle school or high school level read.

[...]I had never realized how much I needed the attention of others to confirm my own presence.
As a personal favorite, I thought the character of old, wise, but childish at heart, Archie, the retired paleontologist, was awesome and a crucial element to the story as he was the anchor that brought to the ground all the chaotic thoughts and feelings of the teenagers, helping them -and the reader- see beyond the surface of what was happening in their lives.

I can't think of something that I didn't like about Stargirl. While I was reading it, I kept picking it up at any spare moment I had as it made my heart full or ache with all the emotions I stumbled upon. It was a wonderful story that I would recommend to anyone.

The earth is speaking to us, but we can't hear because of all the racket our senses are making. Sometimes we need to erase them, erase our senses. Then -maybe- the earth will touch us. The universe will speak. The stars will whisper.